236 WILD SPORTS IN THE FAR AVEST. 



course tliey bring their dinners with them. These 

 forest schools seldom pretend to teach more than read- 

 ing, writing, and arithmetic; if they attempt geo- 

 graphy, it is confined to that of the United States. In 

 tl* swamps I once saw a teacher giving lessons in 

 writing ; some of his scholars were eighteen and twenty 

 years old, yet could not read what they wrote, but 

 copied the letters as we should copy hieroglyphics. It 

 w^as just noon as we passed ; at this hour master and 

 scholars make it a rule to play at ball if the w^eather 

 will allow, so that they may return with greater zeal to 

 their spelling. The scholars whom we saw were nearly 

 aU grown up. 



Hitherto the weather had been fine ; but clouds 

 gathered in the west, and soon turned to rain. As we 

 Avere in no great hurry, and as Slowtrap said that one 

 of his greatest friends lived about half a mile from the 

 road, we turned to the left, and soon halted before a 

 block-house, whose chimney smoke indicated a glorious 

 fire \vithin. Old Bahrens, to whom the house belonged, 

 was not at home, but his two sons, lads fifteen and ten 

 years of age, gave us a warm reception. "We found the 

 room occupied by three other men, who made room 

 for us, and the fire soon restored warmth to our half- 

 frozen limbs. Two of the strangers were talking 

 earnestly about the races, which were shortly to be 

 held in the neighborhood, while the third seemed to 

 be very tired, for he was fast asleep in his chair. 



As it grew later and later without any signs of 

 supper, and there was no woman in the house, Ave all 

 set to Avork, took maize out of the corn crib, and began 

 to grind. But Avhat a mill ! It Avas above an hour 



